Our postie is a woman and a lot of the delivery drivers are too.
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One thing Brexit has scuppered is my idea of moving before retirement. My main qualifications will be difficult to transfer (long story) but even if I get to the point my pension is “adequate” before retirement I’d need a job so as not to eat into savings/investments too soon.
I had fondly hoped that I might be able to ressurect my IT skills as a means of earning a crust - either polish up the LAMP stack and adding in JS and the various frameworks and then doing a bit of freelance web design or even just IT repair and general support (suspect it would improve my French massively but I’d need to be a lot better than I am now before starting).
Of course all of that will now just about be impossible, so need to hang on here in the UK until the pension comes through - somewhat difficult with the rate that the country is going to the dogs.
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I’m so sorry, Paul - how dispiriting - but please don’t give up yet! There are so many areas where no agreements have been made because of the speed of “Getting Brexit Done” that there are bound to be improvements forthcoming… 
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Hugely variable as depends on aspirations and so on…but I took early retirement and was worried that my reduced pension wouldn’t be enough. (One reason we decided to have a gîte and a flat to get some income in euros). As it turns out being retired has been cheaper than we budgeted for us. And we realise that going to work was expensive: London commuting costs, work clothes, lunches, endless birthday and baby gifts, rushing in to grab an expensive ready meal as too tired to cook, etc etc.
We live well within our income - certainly this last year!
Of course if your idea of retirement is swish cars, daily 5* meals out and lots of luxury holidays then keep on working…
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Well, a car but I think the BMW will have to go…
Mine did before we moved to France.
A car! Living where we do no way we could manage on A car. (Except during lockdown.) We don’t live in each other’s pockets and all that we do (shopping, dechetterie, vet, doctor, French lessons, Alexander, bridge, photo club, etc) is at least a 10 minute and often 20-30 minute drive in different directions across countryside.
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You’re obviously far too busy, enjoying yourself and getting way too integrated - stop it at once 
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To get back to @toryroo’s original post, have you tried visualisation Tory? Imagine yourself 5 years from now and living your perfect life, see it as clearly as you can. What is fulfilling you? Making you happy? Getting you up in the morning? As your title says, focus on the “what”, and don’t worry about “how” you are going to get there.
The more real you can make that future life the better - it will happen for you, I promise.
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We took the decision to live with A car. Requires planing sometimes, but quite doable. We do also have bikes, (not that mine gets outdoors much!).
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@toryroo TESOL/TEFL/CELTA qualifications for teaching english as a foreign language were definitely accepted in French Universities before Brex****. However, that may now have changed as they are UK based qualifications. You can do a fairly short(ish) course for these, but unfortuantely I’m not sure if it can be done all online. My wife did a CELTA 5 years ago, and the course included face to face supervised teaching, but COVID may have changed that. There may be French based courses for teaching English as a foreign language ?. Either way, it will cost you for the course.
800 Euros a year available to anyone working in France under “Compte Personnel de Formation”, I think, for education and training.
Amongst other personal use, wondering whether making any potential French clients aware of this (assuming not everyone knows) could make tefl or other education-type services easier to sell [depending if any agregation is needed to supply which type of training -good heavens I’m starting to think of regulations in a French way!]•
Us too - for environmental reasons. When we lived in Northumberland we had a 7-seat people-carrier and a big 4-wheel drive - and needed both (we had 4 children and big hills frequently covered with snow in winter). But as I became more environmentally conscious I became increasingly unhappy with all that embodied energy and fossil fuel consumption - cutting this impact down was all part of the decision to move here.
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Wow so many replies - thank you!
Yes, thanks Ray - already did my TEFL/TESOL so that side is sorted!
I think quite difficult though as an individual to become a formateur but yes maybe I should look into it.
Not sure I’d want to do it full time (it is quite draining) but have certainly listed on my activities providing services so is an option to do some of this.
This is worth considering, although from what I’ve seen tourist stuff is very much SMIC and of course the busiest periods are when the kids are on holidays. This is something I’m very aware of with my ‘baby’ already being 6 and I’d like to have both the time and money for some family holidays before they’ve all flown the coop!
I’ve already got one actually - been very bad at doing it for the last few years though, dad was my biggest reader and when he passed on I kind of went off the boil with it! Maybe I should look at restarting it, although not sure my writing skills are up to much!
I think this is a very good point as it is complicated and it does change a lot - again a reason I’m a bit hesitant going down this road in a big way, not to mention some people being total PITAs 
I’d forgotten about this - I did 2 (friends of my dads) many years ago (late 90s) and I really enjoyed it and we ended up good friends with both the couples and they thought I was worth my (well our as hubby was great at spotting what needed doing / hidden work etc) weight in gold. Might seriously look at this.
We’re pretty much same area!
Can’t see myself as a trucker tbh - but I see your point!
I do agree - to a point about the salary, however SO many people here are paid SMIC even after years in an industry so with a decentish business it isn’t hard to earn over that!
No I haven’t - I shoudl find some quiet time to do something like that!
Thank you xx
OK so really you guys are all thinking down the same lines as me as far as earning / business ideas which suggests I’m on the right track. So I think I’m going to persue as hard as I can getting a teaching position and then also build up my business at the same time (or as only if I end up not getting any teaching work!), my current job is until end June so have a little time. I’m a bit stuck at the moment as having a huge hassle with URSAFF and in my sadness the last couple of months have just ignored everything which of course hasn’t helped - feeling better and need to get on with positivity 
Need to get it sorted as I can’t advertise properly or anything until it is all sorted / have new SIRET.
So how I’ve / I’m setting it up is as a teaching and language services business, with dh as
co-collaberateur (he will do all the IT stuff and any web-site translations / bi-lingual websites (he is 1/2 French)). Services can include some hand holding (as someone mentioned would be happier face to face rather than all paper work on the computer), potentially correction / copy writing (has anyone seen how terrible some English is on websites / brochures etc!!) and yes could off house hunting to now that I’ve been reminded of that!
Phew that was a lot to get through!
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Not from where I am sitting , your doing a great job 
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Very kind Colin!
If anyone wants a nosey at my blog! Oh my goodness - longer than I thought, was 2017 I last posted!
http://anotheryearinfrance.coolhippy.com/
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